Turkey-Netherlands ties not suspended: Deputy PM

Diplomatic relations between Ankara and Amsterdam have not been suspended, Turkey’s deputy prime minister and government spokesman said Monday, APA reports quoting Anadolu Agency.

"The Netherlands did not have an ambassador in Ankara for the past year. They announced that they will officially withdraw a non-existent ambassador,” Bekir Bozdag told reporters after a Cabinet meeting in Ankara.

"This is not a new event for us. It is a declaration of known. However, the diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and Turkey have not been suspended," he said, adding that relations remain at the charge d'affaires level.

His remarks follow a move by the Netherlands earlier on Monday to formally withdraw its ambassador to Turkey over a 2017 row.

Relations between Turkey and the Netherlands soured ahead of a major referendum in Turkey when Dutch authorities canceled the flight permit of a plane carrying Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

The Dutch government also expelled Family and Social Affairs Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya from Rotterdam, blocking her from addressing the Turkish community in the Netherlands before the April 16 vote.

Moreover, rallies organized by Turks there in favor of constitutional changes to shift Turkey to an executive presidential system faced restrictions from both central and local governments.